Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato

The laziest man in Ireland, Jamie O'Rourke, would do anything to avoid working, even if that meant taking gold from a leprechaun. A clever leprechaun managed to keep his gold by giving O'Rourke a magic seed instead. Therein starts the tale of how O'Rourke's choice of a seed over a pot of gold could make his dream of a leisurely life come true. With this book, acclaimed author and illustrator Tomie dePaulo provides teachers and parents with a valuable tool for introducing to younger children the concepts of natural and human resources, wrapped up in an amusing story and appealing illustrations.

Tomie dePaola's take on an Irish folktale is wonderfully entertaining. Jamie O'Rourke, "the laziest man in all of Ireland," meets up with a leprechaun and makes a deal: instead of demanding the leprechaun's pot of gold, Jamie accepts a seed for "the biggest pratie [potato] in the world." Of course, we all need to be wary of what we wish for. The ensuing results of growing the world's largest potato cause mayhem in the village. It all settles down beautifully by the end and Jamie O'Rourke is proven not to be the fool that everyone thinks he is. A fun and colorful story for kids and adults alike.

Theme This book has two themes. The first of which is to share with your neighbors because everyone pays off and wins. Another theme is that laziness pays off. The first theme is domonstrated through Jamie O'Roarke's sharing and through the villagers offer to cook for Jamie at the end of story. This theme is cute and amusing but the sharing aspect comes off as rather selfish. The theme of laziness is one that is present with a message that is there. It seems to take a back seat to the plot in terms of generating pleasure for the reader.Plot The plot of this book is simple and follows a logical pattern of thought. Jamie is lazy but Jamie likes to eat. His wife can no longer care for him so he goes off to pray. Jamie captures a leprechaun and makes a wish for a huge potato. He grows the potato. The villagers and Jamie dig up the potato. They eat potato all winter. The villagers are sick of potato so they offer to cook for Jamie all the next year on the condition Jamie won't grown another large potato. Each event makes sense logically.Characterization The characterization is amusing. The photography and words add up to portray a stereotypical Irish guy which, because it is a stereotype, is believable. Jamie's foible of being lazy are amusing.Setting The setting in the story is not very important. It sets the tone for a lot of the cultural aspects of the story. This story would not make sense or be as funny if it was set in another country. Point of View The point of view this story is told from Jamie O'Roarke's point of view. This adds a lot of amusement to the story as it helps to highlight some of Jamie's character flaws.Other Assessment The pictures in this book are highly entertaining. They are two-dimensional and use a similar color palette the whole book through. The pictures have clearly defined shape. They are one of the best parts of this book. One of the concerns some adult readers may have about exposing this book to young readers is the use of language in the book. The author makes the attempt to add a level of authenticity to this story by making the characters sound Irish through the use of language. This is mostly done by having the characters refer to God. One example is where Jamie says "Oh, the saints preserve us." Another example of trying to add authenticity through language is taking the g off words ending in ing. The author succeeds in adding what he strives out to do but it might appear to make the Irish seem stupid and obsessed with religion.

It is highly important for chidren to read folktales to learn about cultures and history. This includes stories that are just plain fun. I highly disagree with the reviewer here who said this story should be left untold. Not all stories have to have a moral (although IMO, this one had one, but I digress). Some stories illustrate to us what a wonderful, fine sense of humor the Irish had (and still do). Jamey had quite an adventure with the wee folk and his "Prattie". My children loved this book, as did I. We liked the dialogue, including, as I mentioned, Tomie de Paola's using of the Irish "prattie" for potatoe. The long-suffering wife was witty, and poor Jamey O'Rourke was a hoot. After reading the library version, we bought our own copy.

This is just a plain old fun book for kids. No, there are no moral messages to sink deep into your child's soul; no, Jamie O'Rouke doesn't miraculous change at the end of the book (hmm...sound like real life?). He's still as lazy as he ever was. But my kids giggled to read about the big potato and the entire town having to eat it until they didn't ever want to see another potato. Get the book and enjoy it for what it is -- fun.